Geoffrey Chaucer, The Miller's Tale

H.M. Cushman (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

Ed. by Sebastian Sobecki, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.02: English Writing and Culture: High and Late Medieval, 1066-1485.
Vol. editors: Kate Ash-Irisarri (University of Edinburgh), Rory Critten (Université de Lausanne), David Fuller (University of Durham), Natalie Hanna (University of Liverpool), Hugh Magennis (Queen's University Belfast), Jamie McKinstry (University of Durham), Sarah Peverley (University of Liverpool), Sebastian Sobecki (Rijksuniversiteit Groningen)

Dates

First circulation or publication c. 1387

Places

England (Country of Origin; Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Poetry (any)

Resources

Save to Bookshelf

The Miller’s Prologue and Tale explode many of the promises of the General Prologue and of The Knight’s Tale. If at first the Host appears to control the tale-telling contest, the Miller’s domination of the Host in his prologue makes it clear that command of the game will constantly be renegotiated. If the aristocratic sensibilities of The Knight’s Tale prepare the reader for stories of chivalric heroes and their lofty values, The Miller’s Tale steers the poem headlong into the earthy, amoral, world of the French fabliau, where common people navigate material concerns (see Muscatine). The Miller takes

The Canterbury Tales

in new directions, and also initiates a general pattern that the tales will follow. That is, the poem will be structured largely by the principle of…

Please log in to consult the article in its entirety. If you are a member (student of staff) of a subscribing institution (see List), you should be able to access the LE on campus directly (without the need to log in), and off-campus either via the institutional log in we offer, or via your institution's remote access facilities, or by creating a personal user account with your institutional email address. If you are not a member of a subscribing institution, you will need to purchase a personal subscription. For more information on how to subscribe as an individual user, please see under Individual Subcriptions.

2825 words

Citation: Cushman, H.M.. "The Miller's Tale". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 26 May 2021 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=39381, accessed 22 November 2024.]

Geoffrey Chaucer, The Miller's Tale

Dates

Places

Genres and Modes

Resources

Save this article

Leave Feedback